


Arkham Saints

by HiddenBookShelf



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batman - Fandom, Batman: Arkham (Video Games), Gotham (TV), Robin: Son of Batman (Comics)
Genre: Arkham Verse, Batman Beyond - Freeform, Batman- Freeform, Batman: A Death in the Family, Batman: Arkham Knight Spoilers, Gen, Jason Todd is Red X, Stephanie Brown is Spoiler
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-12
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-06-26 15:08:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15665691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HiddenBookShelf/pseuds/HiddenBookShelf
Summary: Fifteen years after the events at Grand Island, Timothy Drake is a seasoned vigilante who owns the streets of Gotham, and he's finding that balancing the life of a vigilante with family life is more difficult than he ever imagined. When his new job makes him cross paths with an enemy he thought was long out of his hair, and Jason Todd missing yet again, Red Robin must work with old allies, and enemies, to protect the one thing he can't live without, or lose everything he's ever cared about.





	1. Standing Outside the Fire

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to Arkham Saints, the sequel to Arkham Carnival, which was a continuation of Arkham Knight. That being said, this takes place in the Arkhamverse, so do with that as you will. Even though it takes place in the Arkhamverse, there will be beats taken from the Gotham series!
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

  
  
Tim stood at the entrance gates of the New Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane. It was, indeed, a new facility. It was pristine and modern. With Mayor James Gordon at the helm, the facility had been rebuilt and kept up with to the letter. It was now one of the leading asylums in the United States. He was waiting to be buzzed in.  
  
The past fifteen years had been hard on him, but he had enjoyed it. The dojo had gone under and, with Barbara’s help, he went back to school for a criminology major. Which in turn was why he was standing at the gate of Arkham Asylum, not in a cape, but in a business suit with a GCPD badge on. He pressed the button and there was a subtle buzz. “Timothy Drake; criminal profiling,” he introduced, scanning his badge as he did so.  
  
“Ah, good morning, Mr. Drake.” There was a long, buzzing alarm that sounded and the gates swung open. Tim sighed and stepped through. It was time to save the city in a way Red Robin couldn’t.  
  
He walked through the employee entrance to the front desk. "Welcome back, Mr. Drake," the man behind the desk said as Tim sighed in with his handprint. "Who are we seeing today?"  
  
"Nygma," Tim answered.  
  
The man shook his head. "Good luck."  
  
Tim offered the man a professional smile. When the computer accepted him, he hurried inside. He didn't like to talk about the criminals with the guards. Often the guards liked to make fun of the prisoners and Tim didn't want to get involved with that. He had been working with Nygma for a few months by that point.  
  
As he stepped into the interview room, he set up the recording device and paced the small room. He wished they would let him decorate it, but it was sterile and white like the rest of the Asylum. It may have been an improvement over the grey and dreary walls of Old Arkham, but it wasn't helpful for prisoners to have to stare at white walls 24/7. They needed color.  
  
He sat in the provided chair on the side of the table facing the entrance. The door opened and the older man was led inside. "We will be back in an hour, Mr. Drake," the guard said. "There is someone out here just in case he becomes a little too unruly."  
  
Tim nodded and waited until they walked out to turn on the record. "Patient 21-15, Edward Nygma... aka, The Riddler. How are you doing today, Mr. Nygma?"  
  
"Is that a riddle?"  
  
Tim shook his head. "No, Ed..." He opened his file on the Riddler and stared down at the notes he had been given. Odd behaviors, eating and bathroom schedules and other things were listed in the file, revealing a lot about his patient. "the nurses tell me you haven't been eating for the past couple of days. Are you okay?"  
  
Edward looked up from the table and stared at Tim. "Was it really Bruce?" He asked. His voice was old and tired. The Asylum hadn't been great for the man. Tim had watched his escape attempts get thwarted at every turn and with each attempt, his confidence dwindled.  
  
"Yes, it's true," he answered in a measured tone. He didn't want to sound annoyed with the obvious question. "Bruce Wayne was Batman."  
  
"I should have figured it out..."  
  
Tim smiled warmly. It was a common tactic. "Its alright, no one knew except the people he wanted to know."  
  
"You were close to Bruce... didn't you know?"  
  
"No..."  
  
"Dont you feel betrayed, then? He was practically a father to you, wasn't he?"  
  
"Mr. Wayne was a beneficiary, nothing more. He helped me through my schooling and gave me a place to live in hard times. He was nothing more than an In between home for me during a troubled time in my life." It was his stock answer. He didn't want anyone knowing how close he actually was to Bruce Wayne. His identity as Red Robin may have been hidden, but that didn't mean Batman's enemies wouldn't come after him just for knowing Bruce.  
  
"You live in his mansion now, though."  
  
"Yes... I have acquired Wayne Manor."  
  
Ed smiled and leaned forward. "What's in there?" He asked. "Surely Batman left a treasure trove of things. Where's the cave?"  
  
"Everything was destroyed in the explosion." The lie came smoothly. Mostly because it wasn't a lie. The explosion had destroyed almost everything. They had spent the better part of five years restoring the cave to its former glory and replacing the tech inside. It had been a massive undertaking that had cost them a small fortune. Now it was a fully functional batcave, or bird cave, and was even an improvement in the last one. Lucius had been thrilled to work for a masked vigilante again.  
  
"I see... such a shame that so much history got destroyed just like that." He looked up at Tim. "I want to know about him...!"  
  
"And I want to know about you," Tim said. It was in a calm, cold tone. He knew how to keep them on track. "Why aren't you eating?"  
  
Ed looked at the table and twiddled his thumbs.  
  
"Edward... tell me why you aren't eating. Is there a riddle you are stuck on? Maybe I can help you."  
  
He laughed. "Help me... you can't even help yourself!" Tim stiffened. "They're coming!"  
  
"Who's coming?" Tim asked. It wasn't rare for his patients to come to him with perceived threats of doom and destruction. But Riddler was usually more sane than the others. He wasn't one to+ randomly devolve into insane ramblings.  
  
"Isn't that the riddle of the hour?"  
  
Tim attempted to get him to tell what he knew a few more times before going back to trying to get him to tell him why he wasn't eating. Ed didn't speak again.  
  
After the hour was up, Tim stood, but stopped when Ed grabbed his arm. "Watch your back, Timothy... its coming."  
  
"What's coming?"  
  
But the door opened before Ed could answer. Tim grabbed the guard once the other had taken the man out of the room. "Keep an eye on him. He needs another evaluation." The guard nodded and left to join his partner.  
  
Shaken, but not too concerned, Tim went to check out at the front desk. But the small feeling of dread grew when he saw Jim standing at the front desk. "What brings the Mayor to Arkham Asylum?"  
  
"Johnathan Crane."  
  
The name hung between them and for a moment, Tim didn't have anything to say. "What about?"  
  
"He's lucid..." the small feeling of dread grew in the pit of his stomach.  
  
"What do you mean lucid? Like he's awake?"  
  
"Awake, talking and attempting to walk," Jim said. "They are moving him from Arkham Hospital."  
  
"Here?"  
  
Jim nodded. "And they want you to evaluate him once he gets here tomorrow."  
  
Tim shook his head and moved his gaze to the ceiling. "Do you honestly think it's a good idea to have Scarecrow and me in the same room?" Tim asked.  
  
"No, but since you've never met Dr. Crane, I don't see why it's a problem."  
  
Tim narrowed his eyes.that was true. Tim Drake had never met Jonathan Crane before. "You're right. I'll be back tomorrow, then. I want bars between us."  
  
Jim acknowledged his request and Tim left the Asylum. The entire way home, he kept his eyes on the road and a death grip on the steering wheel. He knew it should be good news when someone woke up from a near vegetated state, but not when that person was a man who brought an entire city to its knees in one night. The world would have been better if he had stayed a vegatable.  
  
"I'm going to hell for sure..." tim muttered to no one in particular.  
  
As he pulled up into the driveway leading to the mansion, he steeled his nerves. Barbara would have to be told about this and he didn't want her to worry.  
  
He stepped into the old house and let the look of it wash over him. They had repaired it the closest they could to the original and sometimes he felt like it was haunted; as if they had awakened the ghosts of the past by breathing life into the house again. He walked on the hardwood floor and as he did, he heard the scraping sound of paws running towards him. Three big dogs, a German shepherd, a bull mastiff and a wolfhound, came running towards him. He had wanted the big dogs to protect his family. He patted their heads as he walked through. "Barb!" He called.  
  
"How was work?" She asked, wheeling into the foyer. "Who did you interview?"  
  
"A few convicts at the GCPD and Nygma at Arkham."  
  
"Oh? How is the Riddler?" Barbara asked. Her tone was teasing, but Tim couldn't match it.  
  
"He's not eating and he said some pretty disturbing things," he said. "Then he wouldn't talk at all."  
  
Barbara frowned. "Do you think there's anything to it?"  
  
Tim absently stroked one of the dogs on the head while he thought. "I wouldn't... but your dad showed up at the Asylum."  
  
Her frown deepened and he knew why. Jim hated the Asylum. He never went there unless there was an emergency and with the new facility, emergencies were rare.  
  
"It's Crane." He paused, dreading the next words. Maybe he was being too paranoid about it, but when someone like Scarecrow woke up, it couldn't mean anything good. "He's lucid."  
  
Barbara brought in a sharp breath and she paled slightly. Tim reached out to comfort her and let her know that everything would embed okay, but he froze when he heard footsteps running down the stairs. "Hey, dad! How was work?"  
  
Tim plastered on his fake smile and turned to his daughter. She had her blonde hair back in a ponytail and she was wearing workout clothes. Tim went to ask her if she was going out for a run, and then tell her she wasn't allowed to leave the house, but his words stuck in his throat when he saw a dark haired boy also in workout clothes walking down after her.  
  
"Stephanie..." Tim said in his fatherly tone that indicated that he was not pleased. "Who's your friend?"  
  
"Damian Walsh, sir" the boy said, holding his hand out. "Nice to meet you."  
  
Tim took the boy's hand and shook it firmly.  
  
"I'm sorry, Tim, I should have told you he'd be here..." Barbara said.  
  
"He's a friend from school, dad," Stephanie said, glaring at her father.  
  
"Just moved here from Bludhaven, sir, with my uncle." Damian said. Tim narrowed his eyes. Damian had a hard grip for a teenager.  
  
"A pleasure to meet you," Tim said through tight teeth. He didn't like it when Stephanie brought home people without his permission, but he didn't say anything. "I'm going to be in the workshop. Is Dick down their?" Steph nodded. "Good. Where are you two going?"  
  
"A run, sir," Damian said. "...if that's alright with you, of course."  
  
Tim smiled. The kid could drop the act, but he didn't say as much. It was cute that Damian thought he could sucker his way into Tim's good favor. "Its fine. You two have fun."  
  
He kissed his daughter's forehead and then hurried to the basement. Down below was an office with crime cases lining the wall. He looked around before locking the door behind him and heading to the book shelf. He opened one of the many criminology books and hidden inside was a control panel. He used it to open a secret elevator leading down to the cave.  
  
Stephanie didn't know about her father's nightly exploits and he wanted to keep it that way. She didn't need to know anything about it. It was better this way. She probably already worried about him working with the police at all, let alone being Red Robin.  
  
As he stepped out of the elevator, he looked around the massive cave. They had refurbished it to look as similar as they could to the original, but with upgraded tech. And everything was bird themed instead of bats. "I see you've met Damian," Dick said.  
  
Tim frowned. "You knew he was here?" He asked, coming over to where Dick sat in an electric wheelchair. He had a prosthetic, but lately it had been giving him some issues, causing him to resort to the wheelchair.  
  
"Of course I did. No one comes in and out of this house without me knowing about it."  
  
"Great..." Tim muttered.  
  
"I also noticed how cold you were to him. If you're trying to push people away and be like Bruce, you're doing a pretty bang up job with it."  
  
Tim glared down at the man and frowned. It wasn't that he was angry about the comparison. He knew Dick's words held a lot of truth. It was just that he didn't need a lecture about his mental state. "You heard from Jason yet?" He asked in an attempt to move the subject to more pressing matters; like the disappearance of Jason Todd.  
  
He had been missing for months without any indication of where he had gone and why. Red X had upped and vanished several weeks before they lost contact with Jason and Bludhaven's crime had skyrocketed in his absence.  
  
Dick shook his head. "And I know you said we shouldn't panic, but he hasn't even sent a "wish you were here" post card or anything like that. He hasn't reported in for any of his checks with me or Jim. Fifteen years, he's been like clockwork... six months ago, he vanishes."  
  
Tim rested his hand on the back of Dick's chair. "What about that kid he's been training? Redbird or whatever?"  
  
"Both vanished without a trace six months ago," Dick said. "Jason didn't even mention the bird last time I spoke to him..."  
  
Tim shook his head. "Think he got himself killed?"  
  
"X or Bird?"  
  
"Bird." Tim didn't like speculating about the death of a child, but that seemed the most logical explanation. No one had ever met Redbird, so it would make sense for Jason to want to mourn his apprentice's death in peace without everyone getting on him.  
  
"Possibly... if that's true, we don't know when he'll be back in the field... if ever. "  
  
Tim sat down in the swivel chair next to Dick and sighed. "I'll try to get this weekend off and we can head out to Bludhaven... maybe one of the street rats will be able to tell us if Redbird is dead." He leaned against the back of the chair. "Just one more headache to deal with..."  
  
"I also heard about Crane," Dick said. "This shouldn't be a problem. The guy's been a vegetable for years. I doubt him waking up will change much..."  
  
"You didn't hear Nygma today..."  
  
Dick smiled and Tim could tell he was holding back a small laugh. "You're starting to freak out because of the words of an insane man?"  
  
"Riddler isn't insane," Tim argued. Dick lifted an eyebrow. "Not like the others," he clarified. He doesn't usually ramble. Not like that..."  
  
"And you think Crane walking up has something to do with this?"  
  
"People don't just wake up..."  
  
"What are you saying? That's hes been faking it?" Tim didn't speak. "For fifteen years? God, Tim, you're spending too much time around crazy people. You're starting to sound like them."  
  
"Maybe not the whole time..."  
  
"Why don't you talk to Crane before making that assumption, hm? Maybe he did just wake up."  
  
Tim didn't think he could just let it go, but he didn't say as much. Dick was right. The more pressing issue at that moment was Jason and his apprentice.  
  
"So, Damian..."  
  
"What about him?" Tim asked.  
  
"You were pretty cold, you know..."  
  
Tim shrugged. "I'm her father. It's my job to make sure I try and scare off every boy she brings home. What do you know about him?"  
  
"Moved here from Bludhaven a couple weeks ago," Dick said.  
  
"Great. That's exactly what he told me."  
  
"Sorry I didn't run a background check on him." He turned back to the computer "as for tonight, I don't think there's anything going on that the police can't handle..."  
  
Tim was hardly paying attention. He was already walking to the Red Robin costume on display. He wanted to spend time with his family... but the city called him. He put his hand on the costume's chest. "Now I know why he distanced himself from everyone..." he muttered.  
  
"You don't have to do it. The world won't go to hell if you take the night off. It's yours and Barb's anniversary, after all."  
  
Tim stared at the clothes. They hadn't made plans... they never made plans. There was a reason Stephanie was an only child. He grabbed the costume.  
  
Dick sighed. "You're becoming just like him..."  
  
Tim knew it wasn't a compliment.  
  
  
  
The gates of the Asylum opened up and Tim stepped inside. He didn't want to do this, but he had no reason not to. He walked into the halls and as he did, he felt like the walls were closing in. It seemed like he was walking through the old Asylum. Though he knew they weren't, it was like the lights were flickering.  
  
"Mr. Drake? Are you alright?"  
  
He jumped back into reality. The doctor was looking at him with concern. "Oh, y-yeah... I'm alright," he said. "Can you repeat?"  
  
"This session doesn't have a time limit. You take as long as you need. Or as little time as you need."  
  
Tim nodded and stepped into the room. They had taken his request to heart. Crane was behind a wall of glass as if Tim were visiting him in prison. The room that usually felt too bright seemed extremely dark today. He sat in the seat and flinched when the door shut behind him.  
  
"You are afraid," Crane whispered. His voice was raspy and tired from not using it for years.  
  
Tim ignored the comment. As calmly as he could, he turned on the recorder. "Patient 41-66, Jonathan Crane."  
  
"Doctor, Mr. Drake."  
  
"Right..." He nodded. "Apoligies. Dr. Jonathan Crane." There was a pause. What could he say to the man? Where would they even begin? "How much do you remember?"  
  
"Batman..." he said. "He... beat me... and then what happened?"  
  
Tim wanted to scream that Crane had ruined his life, had killed Bruce, had destroyed any chance of leading a normal life, but he didn't say that. Instead, he explained calmly "Bruce Wayne killed himself afterward," he said.  
  
"Couldn't handle it, could he?"  
  
Tim didn't react. "I suppose not. But I don't want to talk about Bruce Wayne. I want to talk about you. How are you feeling?"  
  
"Free..."  
  
The word was said with such sadistic joy that it sent a shiver down Tim's spine. Why did he sound so happy?  
  
Crane leaned forward and it took all of Tim's willpower not to lean away from the glass. The years had not been kind to the man. His face looked horrific and almost moulded. Surely the old injuries still caused him a great deal of pain. "Tell me, Mr. Drake... what do you fear? Do you fear for your life?"  
  
"This isnt about me, Doctor--"  
  
"No..." he shook his head. "No... you fear for the lives of others... Your family, perhaps..." Tim flinched. "Aha! You fear walking into your home, seeing your family hanging from the ceiling... their blood soaking the floors..."  
  
Tim stood and turned off the recorder. "This conversation is over." He turned to leave.  
  
"I know you..."  
  
Tim froze with his hand hovering over the doorknob.  
  
"Yes... I have met you before..."  
  
Tim Steeled his face, but he didn't turn around. He didn't trust himself to face Crane. "We've never met."  
  
Crane laughed softly. "No... I know you... and I'm coming for you. You and your family will never be safe..."  
  
Tim felt sick. His stomach twisted into knots and it took everything he had not to collapse when Crane spoke again.  
  
"You cannot hide from me... Robin..."


	2. Fear and Loathing

Chapter Two: Fear and Loathing  
  
Tim had the gas petal to the floor and he was swerving through traffic like a bat out of hell. The hands-free phone rang and after the third attempt, Dick answered the phone. “Drake residence, how may I help you?” he said. His mouth sounded full and an irrational sense of anger spread over Tim. How could he be eating at a time like this?  
  
Of course, the irrational part about it was that Dick would have had no way of knowing that anything was wrong. “Where’s Barb?” Tim asked. His tone must have been more panicked than he originally thought it was because when Dick spoke again, all the jovial tone had vanished from his words.  
  
“She went to the store,” he said. He paused long enough to swallow whatever he was eating. “What’s wrong?”  
  
Tim glared out of the windshield. What wasn't wrong? They had said he was crazy to suspect Crane of anything and now... now his family was in danger. “It’s Crane… he knows who I am… who we are!”                                      
  
Dick was silent for a few moments, but then he spoke quickly. “Okay, don’t panic. He’s in Arkham. No one has escaped from Arkham since the new facility opened. He’s not going anywhere.”  
  
“He threatened my family! Like hell he’s not going anywhere!” He took a turn too quickly and his tires squealed in protest.  
  
“Tim, calm down. You're going to get yourself killed.” Calm? Tim wanted to laugh. He couldn’t calm down. He couldn’t do anything except protect his family. He knew that Crane didn’t mess around and wouldn’t wait for him to have time to react. They had to move quickly. Barbara and Steph would have to leave town for a while until he was sure it was safe for them to come back, and then he’d make sure Crane never hurt anyone again. “Where are you going?”  
  
“I’m getting Steph out of school. She and Barbara have to leave Gotham until this whole thing blows over. I need you call Gordon and tell him what’s going on. This needs to be done now. Scarecrow isn’t going to wait until I have time to deal with him.”  
  
“About that…” Dick said. Tim narrowed his eyes. He was sure that Dick could feel the angry daggers he was glaring even through the phone. “I didn’t want to worry you before your interview with Crane, but… Steph’s school called. She… didn’t show up for school today. Barbara isn’t at the store, she went to Gotham to look for her.”  
  
The tires on Tim’s car howled as he slammed on his breaks, stopping faster than he should have. The poor vehicle wasn't the Batmobile and it didn't handle the sudden stop well at all. He'd be lucky if he hadn't just destroyed the brakes on the car. “What?” he shouted. “She went to Gotham?" He slammed his hands on the steering wheel. "Call Lucius and send the car to my coordinates with the costume.”  
  
“Is this really a job for Red Robin?”  
  
“It’s definitely not a job for Timothy Drake." He shook his head and tried to get his breathing under a control. "I want all of Crane’s records for the past fifteen years. He didn’t just wake up and figure this out. He either knew before he went under or he’s been faking it for at least a little while.” He paused as a thought struck him. “Do you think Jason…” he trailed off. Jason had worked with Crane while he was still angry at Bruce. Knowing who Batman was probably meant that finding out who he was wouldn’t have been that hard, all things considered. Jason hated Bruce enough to bring him down like that.  
  
“He might have,” Dick said. Years had gone by and Dick had realized somewhere along the way that even though the Jason he knew and helped train wasn’t gone, he was definitely a changed man, and nothing they could do for him would change what Joker had done to his mind.  
  
“Could this…?”  
  
“Tim, I don’t know. Just wait there. I’ve locked your coordinates into the car and it’s on its way. We’ll find her and we’ll stop him.”  
  
Tim gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his hands began to hurt and his arms shook.  
  
   
  
“My dad is going to kill me.” Stephanie gasped. Her voice could hardly be heard over the wind, but she didn’t care. For the first time she felt like she didn’t have any burdens. Her dad had put the fear of the world in her, but she had always been curious about it. She understood why he wanted to protect her… they lived in Gotham, and anyone growing up in Gotham knew that the streets were dangerous and deadly.  
  
Damian stood beside her, calmly staring at the city below them. They were standing on the top of a building situated on Founder's Island, high about the rest of the city, but still dwarfed by Wayne Tower. Stephanie had wanted to go there, but Damian had vetoed the idea.   
  
Stephanie threw her arms put and breathed in the warm, early fall air. "This is amazing!"   
  
Damian laughed. Perhaps her joy was contagious. "You've never been to Gotham?"  
  
"Well, sure... but I've never seen it like this! It's beautiful!"  
  
Damian sat with his legs dangling over the side of the building. She was a few feet behind him. She didn't share his confidence on the building. "Your dad must be pretty protective of you," he said.   
  
"Well, its Gotham. The people who aren't protective of their families tend to lose them."  
  
"Yeah... thats true." He sounded sad for a moment, but she didn't ask him about it. Maybe he had lost someone to the crime in Bludhaven. Damian leapt up onto his feet, balancing on the raised lip of the rooftop. "So, he taught you have to fight then?" She nodded. With a smile, he jumped from the lip and landed in front of her. "Then show me what he taught you!"  
  
"Up here?" She asked. She stepped back away from him. " I don't think that's a good idea."  
  
He dropped into a fighter's stance. "Why not?"  
  
"You're probably better than me," she said. "You got us up here, after all..."   
  
Damian smirked. "Come on! It'll be fun."  
  
Steph sighed and settled into her own fighting stance. He was lower to the ground than she was. He aimed a punch to her head. She swatted his hand away, using his momentum to shove him aside. As he went forward, she brought her knee to his stomach.   
  
He was fast, though. Instead of getting lambasted in the gut, he vaulted over her knee, aiming a kick at her head. Steph dodged expertly. Tim had been teaching her to fight and defend herself her entire life. But that meant most of her attacks on him were defensive. Damian took the offense the first chance he got and suddenly she was dodging and redirecting blows.  
  
His fighting style was more chaotic and unpredictable. He was a talented fighter, but he lacked the subtlety that her movements had. Their sparring match on the roof top grew in intensity and she noticed that he fought almost like a caged animal. His blows aimed for vitals, and even though she knew he was holding back, when he did connect, she felt the power in him. It was destructive and harsh. He was a killer, or at least had been trained by one.   
  
Finally, he got the drop on her and his foot landed square on her jaw, sending her sprawling on her back. "Not bad," she said.   
  
"I know." He paused. "Not bad yourself. Your dad must be a great fighter."  
  
Steph sat up and rubbed her stinging jaw. She felt a little bit of blood, but it was only a scrape. "My dad interviews criminals for a living," she said. There was an air of disdain in her voice.   
  
"You don't sound like you're too happy about that," Damian said. He sat down in front of her. "Why?"  
  
"His job makes him paranoid..." she looked up at the sky and sighed. "He spends so much time fighting crime and dealing with criminals that sometimes it feels like he doesn't know how to handle normal people." Damian smiled like he knew something she didn't, but when he didn't speak, she continued. "And I hardly see him. He gets home and goes to his office where he and Uncle Richard do... stuff, and no one tells me why he has to work every night."  
  
"My uncle would say that your dad's job is very important..." he laughed, but it was bitter. "My uncle is an idiot. Your dad's job will ruin your life and his if he lets it."  
  
Steph blinked. "Being a criminal psychiatrist?" She asked, confused.   
  
Damian shook his head. "Sure... let's go with that," he said with a bitter hiss.   
  
Before Steph could question anything, they were surrounded. Damian reacted faster than she did. He was on his feet in milliseconds. The men surrounding them wore dark and tattered clothes and surlap bags over their heads. Steph stood slower, holding her hands to show nonaggression. The move was lost since Damian was already in a fighting stance.  
  
"What do you want?" He asked.  
  
"Our quarrel is not with you," one of them said. His voice was raspy and low, more monster than human. He stepped forward, coming within a few feet of the two children. Upon closer examination, Steph noticed that the burlap sack was not simply over the man's head, it seemed to be infused with his skin. It moved when he spoke and with his facial movements. She was sickened by the sight, but there was no time to dwell on it.   
  
Damian blinked in confusion. "You're not here for me...?" He looked between the sacked man and Stephanie and then something seemed to dawn on him. "Then you'll have to go through me!"   
  
"Very well..." the men all attacked at once. Stephanie was quick to retaliate, using the momentum of one to throw another on the ground. Damian was faster, dispatching the men with quick, sharp movements. She didn't stop to see if he was killing them. That didn't matter. She spun and kicked a man away from her.   
  
Between the two of them, the men, who seemed vastly undertrained for this job, were quickly overpowered. Just as the last man standing went to retreat, another man dressed in all black landed on the roof from some unseen location. He wore a mask and hood that covered everything on his face except for a slit for his eyes. He was followed by a half a dozen black-clad ninja.   
  
Damian froze. "Damn..." he turned to Steph. "Run..."  
  
She cocked her head. They had them on the ropes. "Run?"  
  
"Run!" He shouted. He grabbed her arm and they took off together. He didn't stop and she couldn't stop of she wanted to. The ninja ran after them, fanning out to try and flank them. They were gaining, but Damian was keeping steady pace ahead of their pursuers. When they got to the edge of the building, Damian didn't even hesitate. Steph did. She had never leapt buildings. "Jump!" He shouted as he landed. She looked behind her. They were close enough that she didn't have time think. She ran towards the assassins before spinning around and running toward the edge.   
  
For a heartbeat, she feared she wasn't going to make it. The gap seemed to widen before her eyes and she wanted to close them, but she was afraid to. The moment passed and she landed hard on the roof, but she didn't have time to catch her breath. Damian pulled her to her feet and started running again without checking to make sure she was okay. She didn't even have time to freak out over what she had just done.   
  
After that jump, her legs were shaking and she had a hard time keeping up with him, but he didn't slow down for her. She didn't know what was going on, but they didn't have time to explain. They were keeping pace ahead of the ninja when she tripped and fell hard onto the gravel of a roof. Damian cursed and ran back to fetch her, but the momentum lost was all they needed. They were overtaken and surrounded in a matter of seconds.   
  
"You are not our target, " one said to Damian. "You do not have to die today..." Steph stood slowly.   
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"You..."  
  
Before anyone could move, the roof exploded in smoke. Damian grabbed her and put her shirt over her mouth as he dragged her down to the ground. Someone was moving in the smoke; a black blur. Before long, another figure joined the fray, and just as quickly as it had begun, it ended. The smoke cleared with the wind, leaving a man in a black costume with a white mask marked by a red X. The remaining ninja were fleeing in the distance. Just as Steph wondered if anyone would go after them, someone started yelling.   
  
The man with the x grabbed Damian's arm. "You little sh--"   
  
"Oh, don't even give me that!" Damian shouted, pulling away. The other figure Steph could identify as Red Robin. She gasped and stood up. She had admired the work of Red Robin for years and she had never seen him up close. He was keeping his a distance. The same couldn't be said for Red X.   
  
X moved at Damian and grabbed his arms again tightly, shaking him like a father who had just found his son trying to harm himself. The anger born of worry. "Do you have any idea how long I've been looking for you, Day?" He shouted. "Your father tried to kill me when he found out you went missing!"  
  
"That's Redbird?" Robin snapped. "Heavens, Ja--- X... he's just a kid!" He stepped forward and ripped Damian from X's grip. "And where the hell have you been? Nightfall's 'bout made himself sick worrying about you!"   
  
"Its complicated," X defended.   
  
"Hey!" Damian snapped, cutting off Robin's reply. "Someone want to tell me why the League of Assassins are after us? Or did you forget already?"  
  
"I don't know exactly why they are after you," X said. "But we're going back to Bludhaven before your daddy breaks a few laws."  
  
"Dad can come to Gotham to come get me if he wants me back so badly!"  
  
X stepped forward, but Robin stepped between both of them. "Enough. The kid's right. The League hasn't been seen in an upwards of ten years, and now they're back? And guess what, Arkham Knight, your old pal Scarecrow is lucid."  
  
"Is that why we were attacked by sack wearing freaks as well?" Damian asked.   
  
Robin and X exchanged a quick look and the Robin stepped forward towards Stephanie, but he still kept his distance from her. "Are you hurt?" He asked. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought that he sounded worried beyond what a vigilante would be worried about another citizen. "Why would the League be after your apprentice, X?"  
  
He shrugged. "I've got a couple ideas..."  
  
"They weren't after me," Damian said, cutting into the conversation. "They're after her." He pointed forcefully to Steph.   
  
Everyone froze and turned to Stephanie. She suddenly felt very awkward with their eyes on her. She fiddled with her fingers and took a step away from them. Red Robin moved quickly to her. "Then we need to move... now," he said. "You're coming too, X."  
  
He shook his head. "No... we're going back to Bludhaven."  
  
"That can wait. Right now your friend is sending people after innocent bystanders and we need to stop him."  
  
"And you don't understand. He needs to get back to Bludhaven."  
  
"X... if you told Scarecrow who I am..."  
  
X shook his head. "He knows who you are...?" He started to look towards Steph, but he stopped himself. "I swear, I didn't tell him your name or Bruce's... just Barbara and that was because he swore he wouldn't hurt her."  
  
"My mother is involved in this?" Stephanie asked. Damian laughed softly, but a quick glare from Robin shut him up.   
  
"Yes, she is... but everything is going to be okay. I will drive you home." Robin reached for her arm, but she pulled away from him. "You really need to come with me..."  
  
"What's going on?" She snapped.   
  
"I... wish I could explain," Robin said.   
  
Damian stepped forward, but Red X grabbed his shoulder and suddenly Steph felt like she was the only one out of the loop. The others seemed to know what was going on, but she had to be left in the dark.   
  
"I know it's scary but we need to get moving. The League will have deployed others and they'll be here soon. We don't want to be here when they come, so let's go." Steph took his outstretched hand and he pulled her close, but kept his face away from her. "X... you need to come back with me..."  
  
X looked at them and then at Damian. "I'll have to call his father and let him know where we are... but you're right... I'll come."  
  
Robin nodded and picked Steph up before leaping off of the building. Damian and X followed without a word. Damian got into the car alongside Steph and X vowed to follow on foot. Once they were moving, Steph stared out the window at the streets of Gotham as they swung by at an impossible pace.   
  
Riding in this car should have been an amazing moment for her. She had always wanted to get a close look at it. But that moment was tainted by knowing that not only was she in danger, but so was her mother and her father, most likely. "Why do you think they want us? Sure, dad and mom worked for Batman, but he died long before I was born..."  
  
Damian laughed.  
  
"What's so funny?"  
  
"I just was thinking about what it must feel like to be so far out of the loop that you can't see what's right in front of you..." he said. His tone was mean and his words cold. It was very unlike his demeanor earlier.   
  
"Why did you run away from Red X?" She asked. Maybe he and X had a fight. He looked out the window. And maybe he didn't want to talk about it. "If you fought with him, you should try..."  
  
"Your dad is Red Robin," Damian snapped, cutting her off. He turned to look at her with a severe glare. She blinked and stared at him for a long moment before shaking her head in disbelief. "That's why Scarecrow is trying to kill you. He's found out who your daddy is and he wants to make him suffer, just as he made Bruce Wayne suffer." He turned back to the window, staring blankly at it. "Robin won't tell you, but you deserve to know why you're going to die." 


	3. Wrecking Ball

Tim pulled into the driveway. He had called Barbara and she was on her way home. He wished that she was there with him, but Jason had assured him that he'd make sure she got to the safe house safely. He wasn't sure how secure their actual location was and he wanted to get Dick and then get out of there so they had time to regroup. It was unlikely that Scarecrow knew everything about them and their bases. One of them had to be safe.   
  
He opened the door to let out Stephanie and she stepped out with wide eyes. She seemed shall shocked and he figured that it was a fair reaction. She had a lot to process about the last couple hours. "I will be back," he said. He hated lying to her, but it had to be done. He reached to pay her on the shoulder, but she pulled away from him. "Are you alright...?"  
  
She didn't answer. She just walked towards the house. Damian came to stand beside Tim, leaning on the car. He didnt seem too pleased with himself. "She's a good kid... it's a shame that her life will be defined by your mistakes."  
  
Tim turned to him and narrowed his eyes. He was a smug little brat, it seemed. That was to be expected from someone trained by Jason. "What did you say to her?" he asked. "If you--"   
  
"Relax Robin, I didn't say a thing to her."  
  
Tim moved to stand in front of Damian. He didn't like that this kid knew enough about him to even be having this conversation. Jason shouldn't have given him the information without first telling them who his young ward was. "Who are you?"   
  
"I didn't lie. Name's Damian Walsh." He shrugged and started for the door, pushing past Tim.   
  
"Who's your father?" Tim called after him. Jason had mentioned the kid's dad and had almost seemed scared of what would happen if daddy dearest found out what was happening.   
  
"A friend of Jason's..."  
  
Tim hurried after him. "Look, you may be new at this, but you don't ever use real names while in costume. Our identities are what keep us safe."  
  
Damian rolled his eyes. "Spare me the lecture, Timothy."  
  
"You little--" Tim was cut off by a loud scream from the house. He froze for just a second before dashing into the house. He stood, dumbfounded for a moment in the doorway, staring at the carnage. There was an overwhelming stench of blood and decay.   
  
On the ground in the foyer was one of their dogs lying in a pool of it's own blood. The carcass was dismembered and partially skinned with the exposed flesh and bones flayed and raw. The stench was vile and sickening. Another one of the dogs was tied and brutalized. Its body was covered in cuts and its leg was broken... and the poor animal was still alive, much to Tim's horror.   
  
The third dog was unseen, barking madly and clawing at a door. Tim turned to Stephania and Damian. "Get her out of the house... don't leave her side..." His stomach twisted in knots as he walked to the injured and crying animal. He knelt beside the dog. He knew it what he had to do, but all he could do at that moment was stroke the animal's head, trying to offer it some sort of comfort. But there was no comfort to be had. He took in a sharp breath and took out a shuriken before quickly slitting the dog's throat and ending its suffering.   
  
When he stood, he noticed that it seemed that Damian had followed his orders and they had gone away from the mess. Tim kept the bloodsoaked shuriken in his hand and took out the collapsible staff as he headed for the kitchen where the other dog was barking. The door was jammed and the feeling of disgust grew to absolute dread as he kicked in the door. Whatever was waiting for him on the other side was something they wanted him to find.   
  
His dread was not misguided. A body hung from the ceiling in the kitchen, swaying back and forth. The dog growled at Tim, but he ignored the animal. The body didn't have a shirt on and words had been etched into the bare chest. Ready to meet God? It read. Tim put his hands to his mouth and he swallowed the bile that was rising in his throat.   
  
Now he had to face the thing he hadn't even wanted to consider. Who was it...? He walked towards the body. The face was covered in a burlap sack with a Jack-o-lantern face painted on it. He reached up and grabbed the sack. The pit of his stomach screamed in protest and he wanted to vomit out of fear... fear that the man under that mask was Dick Grayson... unable to defend himself and left alone in the house.   
  
He ripped off the sack like ripping off a bandage and stared the man in the face. The eyes had been gouged out, and the face cut in a ghastly smile... but he didn't see that. All he saw was that he didnt recognize the man. He felt horrible that he was relieved. Whoever this man was had died horribly. The blood streaks over the body showed that the carving had been done while he was alive, and the sweat that was still on the body meant he was probably conscious during the process.   
  
He shook his head and turned on his commlink. "Bullock, this is Red Robin... I need a squad to Wayne Manor... there's been a murder."   
  
He left the body, not wanting to mess up the crime scene, and then went to the study. He opened the entrance to the cave and he just couldn't tell himself that they hadn't found the cave. As he stepped inside, there was a small squeak and Tim froze.   
  
"He was right..." Steph whispered.   
  
"Steph... I..." he stammered. He shouldn't have gone directly to checking on Dick, but he needed to know that the man was safe.   
  
Steph took a step away from her father as he stepped forward towards her. "How could you...?"   
  
Tim didn't have words. He shook his head. "Steph... please... I..." He held his tongue. "Come with me..." he held out his hand. At first Steph didn't move towards him. She stared at his hand and then at his masked face. He sighed and reached up to his face, removing the hooded mask from his head. It was like he was removing a part of his skin to show what was inside. He had spent so long trying to protect her from who and what he was that removing the mask suddenly became the hardest thing he had ever done. It peeled away, leaving his hair messy and wet with sweat.   
  
Once the mask was removed, he held out his hand with the fabric clutched in his fist. "Please." They didn't have time for this. Scarecrow wouldn't wait for them to hash out their lives before striking again. "Dick is down there and I need to make sure he's okay."  
  
Steph looked at the mask and then her eyes turned to her father... he knew the feeling... the feeling that everything you had ever known was suddenly no longer going to be the same. It was scary and he wished he could comfort her, and tell her everything would be okay, but he couldn't off that condolence. It would be okay, but not right away. First they had to run through the fire. "Uncle Richard is in on this?" She asked.   
  
"Yes... and there are very bad people after us and we need to move." He paused and looked behind her. "Where's Damian?"  
  
Steph pointed to the foyer. "Cleaning the blood."  
  
Tim sighed. "Damian," he called, "leave it. The cops need to see that."  
  
Damian stepped into the office, but he hung back in the doorway. Tim looked between the two kids. "I'll explain everything."  
  
"What's there to explain?" Damian asked, stepping inside the office. "That you lived a life outside of your family? That you put the safety of Gotham over the safety of your own child? Or that you lied to protect her."  
  
Tim stared down the boy and narrowed his eyes. That was a rather personal speech he had given. He had to wonder at what point had Damian stopped talking to Tim and had started talking to an unseen figure?  
  
"I did what I did to protect this family and this city. I had to make sacrifices. All vigilantes make sacrifices."  
  
"Whatever," Damian said.   
  
Tim decided not to pursue it. Damian clearly had issues that were deep rooted, but they didnt have time to hash this out. They needed to move and they needed to move fast. He opened the entrance to the cave and motioned the kids inside. Damian came quickly, but Steph was slower. Tim couldn't say he blamed her, but at the same time, they needed to hurry.   
  
Damian grabbed her arm and dragged her into the elevator leading downstairs. Tim didn't take his eyes off of her as they went down. She was pale in the face and seemed shocked, but he didn't k ow what to say to her. How did they even begin to talk about how he had lied her entire life about who he was.   
  
As the elevator rang, he ran out. "Dick?" He shouted. The control room was empty, but it didnt look like anyone had been there. As he ran to the computers to check the security cameras to see if anyone had broken in.   
  
When he got there, he froze just before turning on the feed. Reflected in the screen was a man slumped over in a wheelchair hiding in corner. Tim hurried towards the man. Steph and Damian hung back while Tim went to Dick's slumped over form. He knelt beside the wheelchair and checked the man within, moving him gently. He was unconscious, but unharmed. It was then that he smelled the remainder of gas in the air. It wasn't a lot, but it made him realize that their safe haven was no longer safe.   
  
He quickly roused Dick. "Hey... are you okay?"  
  
Dick stared at him for a long moment and shook his head slowly. "T... Robin...?"  
  
"No need for masks now," Tim said gently. "Do you remember what happened?"  
  
Dick shook his head. "They must have been planning this for some time... is everyone alright? Did you..." he trailed off when his eyes fell on the children standing awkwardly behind them. "Tim..." he breathed.   
  
"We'll deal with it later. I found Jason and our friend Damian here is Redbird." Damian waved and nodded, confirming his words. He pulled the chair out and started for the elevator. "Computer," he called.  
  
"GOOD EVENING, RED ROBIN," the computer said.   
  
"Protocol Sun Fall," Tim called.   
  
Dick spun in the chair and stared up at him. "Tim?"  
  
"CONFIRMATION REQUIRED."   
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"We're not safe here," he whispered. When he spoke again, his voice had raised. "Stephanie Drake," he called.  
  
"CONFIRMATION ACCEPTED. PLEASE EVACUATE THE BUILDING. YOU HAVE FIVE MINUTES."  
  
Tim took off, making sure both Damian and Steph ran after him. He pushed the wheelchair with him. And got into the elevator, pressing a button to make it go up faster. Unlike Knightfall, Sun Fall didn't blow up the entire mansion, but as they left, the entire building went into lock down. Once they got far enough away, the ground shook and smoke poured from the windows. Tim closed his eyes. A wave of guilt washed over him for the man that he had just burned with the house. He shook his head and then replaced the mask over his face before turning to the kids. "We need to go."  
  
"Dad..." Steph said. He turned to her and put his arm on her shoulder. Damian seemed to take the hint and went to help Dick into the car.   
  
"Steph... I know that this is a lot to grasp... and the next few days are going to be hard, but I need you to be strong."   
  
She shook her head and stepped back. For a second, he was afraid that she would run, but instead she turned away from him and followed Damian into the car. Tim got inside as well and hit the gas before the police could show up. He dialed Jason.  
  
"Do you have Barbara?" He asked.   
  
"Yes. She's safe and leading me to safehouse three," Jason answered. "How's Bird doing?"  
  
"I can't believe you'd bring a child into this!" Tim snapped.   
  
"Oh, stop. We were child soldiers. Get over it."  
  
Tim gripper the steering wheel tightly. "We were supposed to be better than Batman!"  
  
"Cut the crap, Red Robin, we weren't supposed to be better, we were supposed to be replacements."   
  
Tim sighed. "Leave him alone," he heard Barbara snapped. There was a bit a rustling and then she was the one speaking. "Are you all okay?"  
  
  
"We're fine. Dick wasn't hurt and Steph is a bit shaken up, but not too badly... We're on our way."  
  
She sighed. "What happened?"  
  
"Scarecrow knows who we are." She didn't speak for a moment and then there was a shout that was directed towards Jason. He defended himself quickly and the reception was too shoddy for Tim to hear the exact words spoken. "He didn't tell Scarecrow... and he also didn't tell us that Redbird is a damn kid! Not just any kid, but Damian." Tim was also fairly certain that it was Damian who had told Stephanie that he was Red Robin, but he didn't say as much. That wasn't important. What was important was getting his family to safety and keeping them safe.   
  
Tim gripped the steering wheel tight enough that he was sure if this hadn’t been a car built to withstand the worst driving, he’d break the wheel in half. The decision was made.   
  
“Barb… you and Steph need to get out of Gotham.”  
  
“of course,” she whispered, "but you need to come with us.”  
  
Tim wanted to. He wanted to get out of there with his family and wait for the police to handle Jonathan, but he knew he couldn’t. He couldn’t do it because Jonathan wouldn’t rest until Tim and his family was dead… or the Scarecrow was no more. “You know I can’t.”  
  
“Tim… This is the man that took down Batman…” Her voice cracked on the other end and he wished he was there to hold her and comfort her.   
  
The realization hit him like a semi-truck t-boning the car. It was a realization that almost made him slam the breaks of the car so he could jump out and vomit. His stomach twisted into knots. He wouldn’t survive this… That was all that was going though his head. He wouldn’t survive because this was what Scarecrow wanted; to end their fight. He had nothing to lose, and no one to care for, but Tim did. A lump formed in his throat. “Dick… you need to leave with Barbara and Steph… And get Lucius and his family out of here, too.”  
  
“Tim,” Barbara said.  
  
He cursed quietly. “I’ll see you when we get to the safehouse, alright?” He hung up and then turned to Dick.  His expression was pained. “I mean what I said. Get them out of here.”  
  
“You’re going to need a mission control. He could be anywhere. We don’t even know how he’s doing this, and you can’t do this alone, Tim.” He shook his head. “No, you aren’t doing this alone. I’ll stay.”  
  
“It’s not safe,” Tim said without looking from the road in front of them. “You’re right, though… we don’t know how he’s doing this and I don’t want to put you or anyone else at risk. I can’t handle this unless I know that everyone else  is safe.”  
  
“This isn’t just your fight, Tim. You won’t survive if you…” he trailed off and Tim knew that Dick was coming to the same realization that he had. “Tim.” He lowered his voice  
  
“Barbara’s right, Dick… This is the man that killed Batman. And I’m not him.” He bit his tongue with a sigh. It was something he had come to terms with. He wasn’t Batman and he never would be. He had stopped trying to be Bruce, but it was still painful. “I know where I stand in this fight, but I do know that winning isn’t an option. I’m looking for a tie, and I don’t want anyone else here if I can’t achieve that.”  
  
Dick nodded slowly. Tim could see that he didn’t like it, but what else could they do? What else could be said? He opened his mouth to assure Dick that he was okay with his choice, when the side of the car was barreled in to by a massive truck, sending it careening down the perpendicular street.  
  
The impact was jarring and at first Tim couldn’t think what was happening. The car was rolling swiftly and the windshield shattered, spraying glass shards everywhere. He had thought the windshield was shatter proof, but he didn’t even think about that as the car hit the ground continuously. The wreck in any other vehicle would have killed him and the other three passengers long before the car stopped rolling. The shock absorbers in the car lessened the blow, but not enough to stop his head from pitching forward towards the steering wheel. The vehicle didn’t come to a stop until it slammed into a building at the end of the street. The car stopped with a sudden jolt and then everything went black.  
  
Tim opened his eyes with a soft moan. Everything hurt, but intial checks showed that nothing had been broken. He closed his eyes tghtly against the harsh blue and red strobe lights. Police and ambulance sirens and drowned out any shouting or attempts of conversation. He tried to pulled himself forward, but he was still pinned under the car. “Steph…” he groaned. The other two that had been in the car meant nothing to him at that moment. The back of the car was well armored and he rationally knew that the two kids were the safest of the group, but his irrational side didn’t care.    
  
“Shh…” a voice whispered. “You’ll be okay…”  
  
Tim opened his eyes to see Jim kneeling beside the broken car. “Jim…” he whispered, reaching out.  
  
Jim grabbed his hand in the only amount of comfort he could give. “Dick’s fine,” he said, but he didn’t mention Stephanie or Damian.  
  
Tim gasped and started trying to pull himself out. If Dick was the first person Jim was mentioning, then that meant he didn’t know that Steph had even been in the car.    
  
“Woah, woah… calm down, Robin….” Jim said, but Tim wouldn’t calm down. Someone had run them off the road and someone wasn’t going to be happy that he and Dick survived. “Tim,” Jim hissed before turning to the paramedics. “I need some help over here!” he shouted, probably realizing that if Tim wasn’t going to listen to him, then he needed to help him. The paramedics ran over to help him lift the car. The second Tim felt the pressure off of his back, he scrambled away, much to the paramedics’ horror.  
  
He didn’t bother listening to their protests as he ran to the back of the vehicle. The door leading to the back half where he transported passengers was empty. But the door hadn’t been opened in the crash. To their design, it had locked down during the collision and rolling. Someone had opened it. At first, hope fluttered in his chest. Maybe they had escaped.  
  
That hope, however, died when he noticed the burlap sack with a face painted on it had been left in the seat where his daughter had been sitting.  



	4. The Angels Don't Fly Down Here

Chapter Four: The Angels Don't Fly Down Here

Red Robin stormed into the doors of Arkham Asylum. His shirt was torn and his wounds were still leaking blood, but he didn’t care. Bloody footprints were left wherever he walked and when he put his hand on the white walls for support, he left red streaks. It was as if his walk through the Asylum was turning it back into the old Arkham they all knew and hated.

“R-red Robin…! “ one of the orderlies gasped, but Tim didn’t stop. He continued on his way with the orderly running after him.

“I want Crane, he snapped. When she didn’t hurry to leave his side to process his request, he paused and turned to glare at her. _“Now!”_ he shouted.

“Y-yes sir…” She nodded and ran down the hallway and he continue on his way towards the interrogation room.

By the time he made it to the room, Crane was already there and waiting for him. Tim didn’t even hesitate . He slammed the door behind him. Crane didn’t even flinch. “Something wrong, Robin?”

“Like hell there is!” Tim shouted. “Where are they?”

“I haven't the slightest idea what you are talking about,” Crane said. His nonchalance was enough to make Tim’s blood boil.

Tim grabbed the man’s shirt and pulled him out of the chair. “You will tell me where those children are or so help me God, I will rip that damned mask off of your face and watch you bleed!”

“Temper, temper, Robin… what would Batman say?”

Tim let go of Crane’s prison jumpsuit and shoved him hard into his chair. The sound of the wood scraping against the concrete floor echoed in the room. “Where are they? We don't have to do this the hard way.”

“You're the one making this difficult,” Crane said. “I don’t know where those children are, and I don't see how you thought i had any idea. I haven't left the Asylum.”

“Explain this,” Tim snapped, thrusting the mask towards Crane. “Tell me where they are!”

Crane eyed the mask. “A copycat, perhaps…” he said with an indifferent shrug. It took every ounce of self control for Tim not to lunge and drive a shuriken into the Scarecrow’s broken face. “It's not one of mine. I don't have a gang anymore after your mentor locked me in a prison.”

“You brought Gotham to its knees in a single night. You should have gotten the chair,” Tim snapped.

“Oh? And will it be you who gives me the punishment I deserve?” Crane asked. He was tempted. He was beyond tempted. He _wanted_ to. Scarecrow had ruined his life beyond fixing. He wanted to see that man die. What scared him, though, was that the thing holding him back wasn't the moral code Batman had instilled in him. It wasn't the “thou shalt not kill" rule that had been drilled into the heads of all the members of their winged family.  No, the thing keeping him from leaping at Crane and strangling the life out of him was that of he did, the chances of finding Stephanie and Damian alive dwindled down to next to zero.

“I’ll let the police handle you,” Tim said. “I just want to know where those kids are.”

Crane smiled. “Temper, Timothy,” he whispered. “When will you drop the act with me?” Tim flinched. He hated to hear his name come out of that man’s mouth. “Oh? I've struck a nerve, have I?” He laughed. Tim tried to keep a neutral face, but his muscles twitched. He itched to attack. “Are you afraid, Robin? Scared of what I will do to that little girl? Scared that I will run my hands over her young, subtle body? Pr are you scared that I will gut and fillet her like a fish?”

Tim shouted and picked up Crane by the collar, slamming him hard into the wall. “ _Where are they?”_ he shouted, shoving him again on the wall.

“Robin!” Jim snapped as he opened the door. “Put that man down!”

“Walk away, Jim,” Tim hissed.

“Robin… I can't have you in here beating up the patients of the Asylum! Put… him… down…” His voice was calm, but Tim knew better. He wanted to know where his grandchild was as much as Tim wanted to know where his daughter was… But Jim needed to work within the law. Red Robin didn’t. Red Robin didn’t need to pretend he had a code. He had been solo for fifteen years by that point. No one would blame him for snapping. How much was one man supposed to take, anyway?

“Robin…” A gun cocked. “I won’t ask again.”

“He took Stephanie,” Tim said without looking. He doubted Jim would shoot his son-in-law, but he also wasn’t one hundred percent sure Jim wouldn’t put him down another way.

“You need to listen to me… Or I will have to arrest you…”

Crane laughed a dry, sinister laugh that only made Tim want to kill him more. Tim clenched his fists.

“You are no good to _anyone_ in a cell,” Jim reminded him. Tim wanted to shout. How could Jim be so calm? How could he just expect Tim to not care that his daughter’s kidnapping? But he knew Jim was right. He was no good to anyone locked away where he couldn’t help.

“Damn it,” he snapped and let Crane go. The man fell to the floor with a muted thud. No one made a move to help him up and he didn’t make a move to get up. No one moved at all. “I will find them, Crane.” He looked at Jim. “And when they’re safe, I’m coming for him.” Jim didn’t react. It was probably because he couldn’t. Any reaction would be used against him. Jim wanted Crane dead and gone as much as Tim did, but he could endorse Robin’s vigilante justice if it ended in a murder.

Crane stood slowly and Jim moved into the room to cuff him and take him out. As they passed Tim, Crane stopped. “I hope you find those children, Timothy,” he hissed. “I would hate for something to happen to them.” It took every ounce of Tim’s self control not to punch Crane in the jaw.

“Let’s go,” Jim said, pushing him forward. Tim waited several minutes before following them out. He couldn’t bring himself to settle down. Jason and Dick were already on the mission of locating the kids, but Tim didn’t even know where to start looking. If Crane was smart, he would have taken them out of Gotham. Gotham was Tim’s city and Crane certainly knew that. He didn’t have the manpower to drop the city. If he did, he would have done it already. No, this was personal… Tim shook his head and grabbed his staff before leaving the room.

As he walked through the Asylum, he was stopped by an orderly. “Robin… Nygma would like to see you.”

Tim narrowed his eyes, but nodded at the orderly and changed his path. It wasn’t strange that a criminal wanted to talk to him. That was par for the course. Sometimes they did it to taunt him or something. He stepped into another interview room, but he didn’t go further into it. Nygma was already waiting for him there.

“Hello, Robin…”

“You wanted to speak with me,” Tim said. He didn’t have time to deal with pleasantries. Riddler was lucky that he was even giving him the time of day at all.

Nygma giggled. “You’re stuck on something… aren’t you?” he asked. “Where has Crane taken the children?”

Tim stiffened. “What do you know?”

“Oh? I’ve caught your attention.”

Tim took a step further into the room, narrowing his eyes. “Tell me what you know, Riddler, or so help me, I’ll make you as mad as the Hatter.”

“No need for that,” Nygma said. He sank into his chair and Tim felt a wave of satisfaction run through him. At least he could intimidate one criminal that day. “I can help you find the kids. Crane spent his time in the hospital amassing followers to his crusade against the rest of Batman’s kids. He approached me as well.” Tim sat down on the other side of the table, intrigued. Maybe Riddler did know things. Nygma smiled. “Bludhaven…”

“What about it?” Tim asked. Surely Crane wasn’t dumb enough to lead them back to Bludhaven… If Crane knew who Robin was, then he probably knew who Dick and Jason were, and by extension, Redbird. At the very least, anyone with two brain cells to rub together could guess that Red X and Red Robin were working together in some capacity; and he had kidnapped Redbird. Leading them to Bludhaven would be suicide for Crane.

“The answers you seek… that’s where you’ll find them.”

“I don’t have time for riddles, Nygma,” Tim snapped. “Just tell me what you know.”

“Crane is building an army in Bludhaven. Once X moved out and went missing, he had the city to himself.” Ed leaned back in his chair. “I don’t know where he took those kids, but I do know where you can find someone who does.”

Tim stood and started leaving. There was a lot wrong with getting information from the Riddler. He had no way to verify whether or not the information was right and he could very well be led into a trap in his haste to find Steph and Damian… but it was the only lead he had and he would be an idiot not to take it. He paused at the doorway and put his hand on the door frame before looking back at the man.

Once, he had been scared of the Riddler. It might have been silly, but when you were a kid facing a criminal that may not be a real threat, but had broken the sacred law that had been drilled into your head and you knew he wouldn’t hesitate to end your life, there was reason to fear him. Now Edward Nygma was an old man and he looked almost frail sitting there in his prison garb that was too big for his withering frame. All Ed had left were his puzzles.

“How do I know this isn’t a trap?” he asked. It was a stupid question. If it was, Ed wouldn’t tell him, and if it wasn’t, there was no way to prove it.

Ed smiled in only the way he could. “That is _the_ riddle, isn’t it, Robin?”

 

Steph opened her eyes slowly. The room that she was in was damp and hot… hotter than anything she had felt before. Sweat poured off of her and instantly she felt like she was drowning in the humid air. She coughed and squeezed her eyes shut, curling up in a ball.

“Breath with shallow breaths until you’re used to it,” Damian said. Steph cracked one eye open and looked at the corner of the room. In the dim light, she could see the boy sitting with his knees pulled to his chest. “I’ve already checked. There’s no way out… right now,” he added. He patted the walls and the dull sound echoed in the stone room. “But there has to be a flaw somewhere.”

Steph sat up and held her head. “What happened?”

“We got in an accident, and I guess Scarecrow wanted us for himself.We’ll be fine.”

She looked at him as the realization that they were now being held hostage by a man that she had only heard in legends began to dawn on her. “Dad?” she asked.

He shrugged. “He’s probably fine. If we’re alive, then Scarecrow is using us to get to him.” He stood and poked around the room, pacing. Steph watched him with wide eyes. Yesterday she was a normal teenager. She had plans to go to the movies with her friends and she had a test the next week.

Now she was the daughter of Robin, who had been trained under Batman, and she was being held hostage by the man who had killed Batman and brough Gotham to its knees. She pulled her knees to her chest. It took every ounce of self control to not break down into tears. This was all happening too fast.

“Look, I can’t babysit you. If you can’t handle this, you might as well kill yourself now. Getting out alive isn’t going to be easy,” Damian said without looking at her. He was looking down the hallway through the bars.

She turned a hard glare at him and stood. “Who the hell do you think you are?” she snapped.

He shrugged. “I was raised by a man who ran from all his problems and trained by Red Hood. Were you expecting a hero just because I’ve got a superhero name?”

She crossed her arms. “Red Hood is dead.”

He laughed, shaking his head. “Honey, you’ve got a lot to learn about the world you’ve been thrown in to.” He turned to face her and jabbed a finger in her direction. “I don’t want to die in here, and I won’t hesitate to leave you behind if you can’t keep up. That’s a promise.”

Steph grabbed his hand and yanked him towards her. “I don’t need _you_ to babysit me,” she said.

He grabbed her shoulder and smirked. “Fine. You’re a strong, independent woman… I’ll believe that. Your mom’s Barbara Gordon and your dad is Red Robin, so surely you can handle yourself.” He shoved her away. “Prove it.”

Steph narrowed her eyes at him and them stepped up to the bars, practically shoving him out of her way. She looked down the hall, but there was nothing in either direction. There was no guard or anything to indicate that anyone was even there. There also didn’t even seem to be a door in the room. She looked for a few moments before sighing in exasperation and pushing off the bars.

Damian laughed. “Figured the spoiled princess wouldn’t be able to figure it out.” He pointed up and then she noticed the seams that proved there was a hatch into the underground room.

“I’m sorry that my dad didn’t train me how to get out of a hostage situation,” she snapped, indignant.

“I figured he would have, considering how prepared he probably is for anything; if he’s anything like his mentor.” He looked up at the ceiling and walked around the small hatch, looking for a way to open it. “Don’t worry, my daddy didn’t teach me how to do it, either. He was convinced no one would find us.”

Steph leaned against the wall to watch him. When he came up with a plan, she’d show her worth. “Why’d you run away?” she asked.

“I’m not sure if this can be opened from in here.”

“No, you don’t get to get out of this conversation. Why’d you run from X and, I guess, your dad?”

Damian sighed without taking his eyes off of the hatch. “I needed to get away. My dad’s… overprotective. You’d run too if you grew up how I did.”

“How’s that?” she asked.

“Hiding.” He looked at her finally and he did seem sad about the issue, but his eyes were stern and his expression hard. “I spent my whole life hiding. I was homeschooled and i wasn’t allowed to have friends because dad was scared we’d be discovered.”

Steph didn’t speak for a few minutes. Maybe he really was just a kid trying to run away from a stifling life. Or maybe he was just a jerk. “And Red X?” she asked.

He shrugged. “I wanted to get out of the house, Red X needed a partner, so we were a match made in heaven.” He walked to a corner an sat down, looking up at the ceiling.

“So… Mr. Walsh is protective?” she asked.

“Wayne…”

“What?”

“My dad…” He sighed, but didn’t take his eyes off of the ceiling. Steph watched him intently. She wasn’t sure she had heard him correctly. She couldn’t have heard him correctly. His last name _couldn’t_ be Wayne… or at least it couldn’t be _the_ Wayne name. That was impossible. Everyone knew what happened to Bruce. She had grown up hearing about the worthless sacrifice he had made to the world.

“You told me your last name was Walsh,” Steph said, trying to process what she knew was coming. She had grown up with stories of her parents’ relationship with Bruce Wayne. Though now she figured a lot of those stories had been lies. Clearly her parents were a lot closer to Batman than they had let on.

Damian sighed again and wrung his hands together. “I haven’t been entirely honest with you. My father is Bruce Wayne.”

 

 

Tim opened the door to the safehouse and the silence that greeted him almost sent him into a panic. He couldn’t handle the silence. But there was a loud bark and their one surviving dog ran to greet him. Jason was next and Dick behind him with a new prosthetic on his leg. It was an older one, but it was the only one they had in the safehouse. “What did Scarecrow say?” Jason asked.

Dick didn’t look at Tim and that was a red flag. The other red flag was that Barbara hadn’t been the second one behind the dog to greet him. He stroked the animal while ignoring Jason’s question. “Where’s Barbara?” he asked.

“She’s in the computer room.” Tim nodded and pushed passed Dick and Jason, but Jason grabbed his arm. “Tim… we have a guest,” Dick said in his reserved, quiet voice. Tim froze and looked at both of them. Jason looked a little ashamed and Dick looked like he was going to throw up at any moment.

“Who is it?

“I brought in some back-up…” Jason muttered. “I didn't think he'd come this quickly, but it would be better if you saw yourself.”

Tim couldn’t even think of who it was. They had left Barbara alone with their guest, so he figured it was an ally. At first he thought another hero had shown up. But that didn’t make any sense. He hadn’t had a visit from anyone from any other superheroes. Hardly any of them had even called to offer condolences for Bruce’s death.

He sighed and stepped into the computer room. The man standing there talking to Barbara was elderly by that point. His hair was greying, but he had stayed in shape. Tim froze and he felt Jason’s hand on his back as if to steady him.

The man turned around and Tim felt like he was staring at a ghost. “Hello Timothy…” Bruce said.

Tim clenched his fists and Jason put pressure on his back to either push him forward or to threaten him not to lunge. “You son of a---!”


End file.
